This week MPs debated the Government’s National Insurance tax rise, and the £20 cut to Universal Credit. Both will hit the poorest hardest. The Government says the National Insurance rise is to raise money for social care, but there is no plan and no detail about how it will do this, nor is there a clear sense of where the money raised will be spent. My colleagues and my committee will continue to press for clarity.
The Public Accounts Committee also highlighted that council taxpayers may be hit with a doubly whammy as the Government will not compensate local authorities for the increased National Insurance cost for outsourced workers employed by councils.
On a happier note I visited Angela and her team at the Ivy Street Family Centre in Hoxton today. They provide much needed support and space for families in Hackney and their Growbaby service has reopened. See here for more. It was great to see them all again.
For more, including my thoughts on what the Cabinet reshuffle might mean for Hackney, see my weekly round up below.